Traffic technician vs traffic signal technician

The differences between traffic technicians and traffic signal technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a traffic technician and a traffic signal technician. Additionally, a traffic signal technician has an average salary of $45,817, which is higher than the $42,175 average annual salary of a traffic technician.

The top three skills for a traffic technician include traffic control devices, traffic data and traffic safety. The most important skills for a traffic signal technician are CDL, IMSA, and traffic control devices.

Traffic technician vs traffic signal technician overview

	Traffic Technician	Traffic Signal Technician
Yearly salary	$42,175	$45,817
Hourly rate	$20.28	$22.03
Growth rate	1%	10%
Number of jobs	25,473	8,006
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 36%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Traffic technician vs traffic signal technician salary

Traffic technicians and traffic signal technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Traffic Technician	Traffic Signal Technician
Average salary	$42,175	$45,817
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $64,000	Between $25,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Pleasanton, CA	Santa Monica, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	AECOM	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	Government	Construction

Differences between traffic technician and traffic signal technician education

There are a few differences between a traffic technician and a traffic signal technician in terms of educational background:

	Traffic Technician	Traffic Signal Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Associate Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pittsburgh

Traffic technician vs traffic signal technician demographics

Here are the differences between traffic technicians' and traffic signal technicians' demographics:

	Traffic Technician	Traffic Signal Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0%	Male, 97.9% Female, 2.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.7% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8%	Black or African American, 14.9% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 6.7% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between traffic technician and traffic signal technician duties and responsibilities

Traffic technician example responsibilities.

Lead team providing cargo, personal property and passenger movements for DoD personnel.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Used CarteGraph software to track traffic signal and street light assets.

Traffic signal technician example responsibilities.

Used UNIX base analysis systems to accomplish all tasks.
Work with team members to troubleshoot fail systems by isolating faults.
Operate and perform preventive maintenance checks and services (PMCS) on assign vehicles.
Install, operate and perform PMCS on power generators, and review other PMCSs for completeness.
Calibrate and configure the replaced or faulty equipment using signal generators, multimeters, RF generators, and oscilloscopes.
Perform collection, identification and signals analysis of all communications activity in support of critical DoD missions.

Traffic technician vs traffic signal technician skills

Common traffic technician skills

Traffic Control Devices, 14%
Traffic Data, 10%
Traffic Safety, 8%
Street Lights, 8%
Construction Projects, 5%
Autocad, 5%

Common traffic signal technician skills

CDL, 15%
IMSA, 9%
Traffic Control Devices, 8%
DOT, 8%
Hand Tools, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 6%

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Traffic Technician
Traffic Technician vs Traffic Signal Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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